How to Make Marketing Package Inserts That Stick

It’s common knowledge that existing customers are more likely to buy from you than a new prospect. In fact, Forbes Entrepreneurs tells us that you only have a 5% to 20% change of getting a new prospect to make a purchase, whereas with an existing customer you have a 60 to 70% chance. In other words, any tool that will allow you to connect with your existing customers and strengthen the relationship is invaluable.

Marketing package inserts are a powerful tool to help you not only build a stronger relationship with existing clients, but also to increase your sales. The have a very high open rate because people are usually eager to open the package you sent them. There’s also the advantage that people are more open to your marketing materials when they’ve just received a product from your company, especially if the entire experience was positive.

So, how can you create effective marketing package inserts?

Get to Know Your Customers

This goes for everything you do in regards to marketing, including creating package inserts. The better you know your customers, the easier it will be for you to figure out what will work best. Some things work better for certain audiences than others, so you have to make sure you know as much as possible about your customers.

Be Personal

Personalization is the name of the game nowadays, and that holds true for package inserts as well. Regardless of what you choose to use as a package insert, you have a much better chance of getting it to stick if you personalize it.

For example, use the customer’s name on the message you send, and even consider including what they purchased, to really show that you are paying attention. Also, sign off with your name rather than a generic customer service team, which feels cold and impersonal to most people.

Compare the two messages below. Which do you think will work better to build customer loyalty?

“Dear Sally,

Thanks for buying the Abracadabra green widget. We really hope you enjoy it.

Jillian of Abracadabra Widgets. ”

…Or…

“Dear customer,

Thank you for your purchase.

Customer service team, Abracadabra Widgets.”

We guarantee you that the first message will have a much greater impact and stick with the customer more because you aren’t sending out an impersonal message that they know everyone else will be getting too.

Pick Up a Pen

Writing a note or a thank-you card by hand will do wonders to impress your customers, especially if you personalize it like in the previous tip. Seeing a handwritten note is extremely rare nowadays, thanks to the internet. So, if you write out your notes by hand, it will have an impact. A big one.

If writing out all your thank you notes by hand isn’t feasible – like if you send hundreds of packages every month – another option would be to print the notes but sign them yourself.

Another option would be to mix it up. Send a handwritten not to your best and most loyal customers, and send a printed version to everyone else.

For example, Brandon Eley, the founder of 2BigFeet, personally writes out a thank you note and sends it, along with a coupon for a future purchase, to all the company’s best customers.

Offer Them a Discount

If you really want to see your sales figures go up, then a discount offer along with a thank you note as a package insert is an opportunity you shouldn’t pass up. First of all, it’s a brilliant opportunity to cross-sell your customer on other products they might like and thereby increase awareness, but it’s also a great way to generate more business, even if you offer a generic discount on their next purchase.

Most people simply can’t pass up a discount, especially if it’s from a company they already buy from. Even if they had no plans to make another purchase any time soon, if you include a discount coupon, their plans will change, especially if it’s a limited-time offer.

And if you take it a step further and personalize the offer – for example, offer them a discount on a product in their wish list – it will stick even more because people like to feel special and cared for and nothing says “I care” like showing you took the time to find out what they’re interested in.

Include a Small Gift

People love gifts, no matter how cheap they are. And they love it even more when they get a little extra in their package that they didn’t order. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy and you don’t need to spend a fortune. Something small and simple will not only please your customers, but it’ll get them talking all over social media about how great your company is.

For example, Ryan French, the founder of GameKlip, included a small bag of candy in every package. Soon after, everyone was talking about the awesome surprise they received all over the net. If you ran a search at the time, you would have found tens of thousands of results of people mentioning the candy they received.

Not only does this approach build loyalty, but it also tends to encourage people to spend more money with you. Two experiments were conducted in 2002 on how receiving a small gift affected the tips servers received in restaurants. In the first experiment, it was discovered the customers left a larger tip when receiving a small piece of chocolate with their check compared to customers who received nothing. The second experiment found that the size of the tip differed based on how much candy the customer received, as well as the way the candy was given.

It’s the principle of reciprocity. If you reward your customers for doing business with you in some way, they will feel the need to do the same.

Remember, marketing package inserts are a highly powerful and cost-effective tool if used right. They can build and cement customer loyalty, increase your revenues, and improve your bottom line substantially. All you have to do is make them personal and show your true appreciation by making your customers feel special, which will earn you their loyalty for life.